Both are equally emphatic and passionate about the need to turn around the economy and create new jobs.

They also have offered some similar ideas on how to do that.

Both see the value of job-producing,
government-funded projects: Two weeks ago, Upton talked about the
importance of the highway bill, airport projects and a Great Lakes
dredging program as a win-win for the economy; such projects put people
to work while creating the infrastructure that keeps the U.S. economy
humming, he said. On Thursday, Obama’s speech included an extended ode
to the value of federal spending dating back to the creation of a
national railway system.

Both talked up the value of federal
efforts on other fronts: Obama talked about how to “help companies grow
and create jobs,” and specifically referenced the auto industry as one
area to do that. We heard the same thing two weeks ago from Upton, as
he described his efforts to get an Indiana company that makes police
cruisers to use Michigan companies as their parts suppliers.

As Obama did on Thursday, Upton has
talked at length in recent weeks about how the tax code could be
revised to close loopholes and generate more revenue, while lowering
overall rates. Both talked about the un-level playing field now:
Upton’s stock example has been the zero federal taxes paid by General
Electric in 2010; Obama pointed out Thursday that billionaire Warren
Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Both Obama and Upton referenced reducing government regulations to create a more business-friendly environment.

And perhaps, most important was this:
While Upton and Obama both scrupulously avoid the term “stimulus,” our
Democratic president and Republican congressman both acknowledged that
federal government can play a role in kick-starting the economy.

That’s no surprise coming from a Democrat, the party that crafted the New Deal and the War on Poverty.

But at a time when many Republicans view the federal government as about as relevant and useful as an old, broken refrigerator
cluttering the lawn, Upton readily agreed that the federal government’s bailout of the auto industry was a much-needed and
highly successful strategy.

”Had they gone bankrupt, we could be seeing 30 percent unemployment in Michigan,” Upton said about General Motors and Chrysler.

To be sure, there was major differences
in tone and emphasis between Obama and Upton, from Obama’s push to
extend unemployment benefits and spending money to rehire laid-off
teachers and firefighters, to Upton’s vision of what kinds of
regulations need to be put aside.

Moreover, at a time when it seems like most Republicans can’t walk fast enough away from any idea offered by a Democratic
president, I can’t see Upton or any other GOP congressman offering an enthusiastic endorsement of Obama’s jobs bill.

Still.

At a time when everybody is talking about how Washington is broken, maybe it’s important to realize that the divide may not
be as wide as imagined.

The key now, perhaps, is for both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to be reasonable and put country before partisanship.

”People understand the status quo is not acceptable,” Upton said two weeks ago, a sentiment that Obama echoed Thursday.

The public certainly understands that. The question is: Does Congress?